From Living Color to Living with Oscar

by Rob King
03/02/05

Congratulations to Jamie Foxx! Foxx won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 77th Annual Academy Awards for his portrayal of musical genius Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic film “Ray”. Foxx is the third African American to earn the Academy Award in the Best Actor category, following the legendary Sidney Poitier in 1963 and the great Denzel Washington in 2001.

Poitier and Washington followed similar paths to Oscar fame. Poitier received critical acclaim in several motion pictures and plays and was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 1958 for the “Defiant Ones”, prior to taking home the gold statue for his role in as the itinerant handyman Homer Smith in “Lilies of the Field.”

Washington earned similar props on stage and the big screen, even winning an Oscar for Best Supporting actor in the 1989 Civil War film “Glory”, before taking home Best Actor honors twelve years later for playing rogue detective Alonzo Harris in “Training Day”.

Jamie Foxx’s ascension to the Academy Award for Best Actor seemingly came out of nowhere. Remember, Foxx first caught our attention on Keenan Ivory Wayan’s “In Living Color” in the early 1990’s. Who knew watching Foxx dress in “drag” to play “Wanda” would lead to an Oscar a little over a decade later? It is still praiseworthy but a little less unique when I remembered Tom Hanks started his career in similar fashion. What Generation X person could forget Hanks in the sitcom “Bosom Buddies?”

However, cross-dressing for a role is not usually a blueprint toward Oscar recognition for male performers.

Anyhow, not many pictured Foxx succeeding Washington as the next African American to earn the Best Actor award at the dawning of his career. Foxx’s journey to Oscar fame shows that an individual can succeed without being appointed or anointed as the next Denzel, Sidney, or whomever. The multi-talented Foxx succeeded by being the first Jamie.

I have heard luck described by many as opportunity meeting preparation. If that is true then I believe Jamie Foxx won the 2004 Best Actor Oscar based on luck. I hope as he moves forward in his career that he continues to be lucky and that more African Americans in film share his luck.